Not So Happily Ever After
by 32-bit Mandarin Orange
Summary: After marrying and moving to the ever crowded Celedon City, Ash and Misty find their happiness dimishing. An uexprected surprise, however, makes them take a second look at their marriage.


Disclaimer thingie: noneofthesecharactersaremineexceptforjunesodon'tsueme. Okee, done.  
  
WARNING Some of the content in this story contains sappiness, I meant for it to be like that because I was in the mood. So if you can't stomach it, well, don't read it, and don't flame me cause I warned ya.  
  
It had the makings of a paradise. They had their Pokemon, and they had each other. The day after their house- warming (a/n or maybe apartment warming) party, their future together seemed bright and sunny. But Ash was far from happy. He couldn't understand why he hadn't gotten the job at the new Celedon City Gym. Erika had quit, and they were hiring a new leader. He was better than any of the masters that had auditioned, and at the age of 23, was the youngest one. Misty didn't know the real reason he's so easily accepted the office job in one of the many identical office buildings. Shame.  
  
"Hi Mist, I'm home!" When no one answered his call, Ash went into the living room and saw Misty plopped on their one couch, looking exhausted. "Hey," he said, bending to kiss her forehead, "is dinner ready yet?" "That's the first thing you say to me?? Couldn't you at least ask me how my day was?" Ash was taken aback by the explosive tone in her voice. "Not a very good one, I suppose." "NO, IT WASN'T! But I'm not hungry, anyways!!" Pikachu and Togepi frolicked in. "Pika-PI!," it said in a piteous voice. (feed the electric mouse) Togepi began to cry. "All right, all right! I'll get your food!" Misty threw herself off the couch and marched off in exasperation. After her college classes, she'd sat watching soap operas and was nearly bored to tears. And the Ash arrived home begging for food instead of the companionship she's hoped for. Why in the heck did I marry him? She wondered for the millionth time. Because I love him, she quickly answered herself. I don't know what I'd do without him. But still, Ash had these moments where he acted so stupid that she wanted to strangle him!  
  
They ate dinner in stony silence. Both of them were too stubborn to apologize to one another, so they stayed good and angry. Actually, as Ash ate, he realized that he was no longer angry, just tired and stressed. He didn't think he could take another day of working in that dull office building! Every day coming home made him feel like running outside and yelling his head off. After all, he said a maximum of about three sentences all day at work. The only sound was the chirping of their Pokemon and the ticking of the clock. Misty began to feel sorry about the way she'd treated Ash. She couldn't help it if every little thing made her, well, explode. It was just that Ash always seemed busy.too busy for her. "I'm gonna go call my mom," said Ash stiffly as he rose from the table. It was then that Misty dropped Ash's plate, which had been stacked on top of her own. The plate hit the ground with an ear-splitting shatter, and shards flew in all directions. They both just stared at the glass for a second. "Couldn't you be more careful?" Asked Ash as gently as possible, "we just got these plates." Misty tried not to murder him. Instead, she began to cry. "I'm sorry!" she yelled. The second plate went flying out of her hand, dangerously close to Ash's face, and this time it wasn't an accident. "WAAAH!" yelled Ash, leaping away. "Misty! You're acting like a two year old!" He screamed back at her. "Why can't you carry your own plates, lazy slob? You're the one who acts like a two year old!" Retorted Misty through her tears. "Lazy slob? Excuse me? Who works forty hours a week? Who earns the money around here??" "You're always too busy for me! How come I'M always second priority to everything else? I could've gotten a husband who actually LOVED me instead of you!" "And I could have gotten a wife who made dinner and didn't sit on her ass all day watching T.V.! But I didn't get that, either!" Instead of retorting, Misty started to rant. "I'm so lonely around here!! There's no one to talk to but Pikachu!!! I'm NOT HAPPY!!! I thought being together would be heaven, not this nightmare." by the end of her statement, her voice had dwindled so much it was barely audible. Misty's own words hurt her as much as it did Ash. The look on his face surprised her. She didn't think he would even care that much. Without another word, Misty stepped over the broken glass and fled to the bedroom.  
  
Ash felt that he was unwelcome in their bedroom tonight, so he was laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. How could everything have gone so horribly wrong so soon? They would always fight, because they were both so stubborn. It was their nature. But now Brock wasn't there to referee their battles. How long would this marriage last, anyways? Each fight would become a battle, each battle a war. Before long they would hate each other. Remembering the first couple of weeks of their marriage, Ash felt a pain somewhere inside. They had been a perfect dream...  
  
At first light Misty shifted in the empty bed. At last this horrible night was over, she thought. Maybe things would be better in the morning, like people always said. Now, maybe the cloud of dread would go away. Maybe- Suddenly, Misty clutched her stomach and moaned. She ran to the bathroom and made it there just in time. After she was finished being sick, Misty sank to the floor and leaned against the wall, her head in her hands. That was how Ash found her. "Misty! Are you okay?" He asked, momentarily putting aside their fight from the previous night. "Like you care," she muttered into her arms. "Misty, just answer me! You look sick." She stood up shakily, marveling once again over the stupidity of her husband. "Well Ash, I just finished throwing up. So I guess I'm not exactly feeling top notch." Ash recognized sarcasm when he heard it, but he ignored it. "You should go to the doctor, Misty. You've been sick for quite awhile." Misty just shrugged. This wasn't the first time this incident had occurred, but she thought Ash hadn't noticed. "How can I go? We only have one car." She couldn't help but give him a hard time, after the fight they'd had last night. "You can take a taxi," Ash responded in a matter of fact tone, which all men seem to possess at some time or another. As if it was the easiest thing in the world to figure out. Misty was in no condition to protest. She was afraid to open her mouth again. After Ash dressed in his usual business suit, he took Misty's hand and gently guided her out the door. "You could drive me. You don't have to call a taxi." "I'd be late for work if I did," he answered shortly, ignoring the wistfulness in her voice. That shows what's important to him, thought Misty, as the anger flared up again. They waited there for another 20 minutes before Ash could hail a taxi. "Good luck," said Ash as he hugged Misty briefly. When she didn't respond, he knew she was still angry. And of course that made him angry too.  
  
They're so slow! Misty thought irritably. She figured the seat she'd been sitting on for the last forty five minutes or so had to have her butt marks engraved on it. "Misty Ketchum!" called the nurse at last. In spite of herself, Misty smiled a little. Would she ever get used to being called that? After she was examined, and the doctor did some very unusual tests on her, Misty sat on the cot, still brooding in anger. It would serve him right if I had some sort of horrible disease, thought Misty angrily. She was still furious at Ash. It seemed like he didn't even care anymore. Finally, a smiling doctor came in, interrupting Misty's irritated thoughts. She felt her heart start to beat faster, despite the doctor's smiling face. What if there really was something wrong? The doctor was certainly taking her time. At last she turned to Misty and said, "Congratulations!" Huh? Did doctors usually congratulate their patients on having terminal illnesses? "What do you mean?" "You're pregnant, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty stared at the doctor as her jaw dropped open. "I-I AM?" "Yes, you're due on May 30th." For a few seconds she didn't respond. "I am?" she repeated. The doctor nodded, smiling. All Misty could do was stare, and marvel. "I'm going to have a baby?" she whispered softly to herself. After she made her way out of the hospital, she thought about Ash. This was their first major fight since they'd gotten married. But as she walked down the street, she tried to remember exactly what it was that they were fighting about.and she couldn't remember. All she remembered was that it resulted in them sleeping in separate rooms and a broken dish. Slowly, this bad feeling was seeping away. She couldn't stay angry at him forever, she decided. And now certainly wasn't the time to be angry. Misty's mind whirled as she headed home on another taxi. Staring at her stomach, she wondered what the baby looked like. It was impossible to believe that there was actually a baby in there.but there was.  
  
When Misty reached her their apartment, in a much better mood, she turned on the radio full blast and skated around the house, cleaning and polishing every corner furiously. The thought of going to school never even crossed her mind. The time crept by ever so slowly. Every time Misty glanced at the clock, the darn thing seemed to be broken. After closer inspection, she even rattled it once to make sure it was still working. She felt like she was going to burst from happiness and excitement. She couldn't even sit still for a second. When Misty entered the kitchen, she stopped and stared at the two broken dishes. Shame filled her suddenly, and she quickly pushed it away. It was his fault, too, she reminded herself, and we both are at fault. Last night she had resolved to let the "lazy slob" clean up the shards. But now, she was over her anger and wanted to put the previous night behind her. Finally, after hours and hours of excruciating waiting, it ended. At promptly 3:45, as it did every day, the door swung open and a tall, dark- haired man stepped inside. And as usual, Ash looked exhausted when Misty entered the foyer. Look at him, she thought, smiling. He doesn't even know what a wonderful thing he's done. Something about his drawn face made Misty feel so much affection it was hard for her not to just burst out the secret. But she couldn't give herself away just yet.  
  
Misty's eyes were very bright when she rushed to greet Ash. "Hey, Misty," he said in a languid tone, figuring that she was still furious with him, though he was no longer angry. "Ash," she replied cheerfully, "sit down. I cleaned the living room." He followed her into the spotless room, wondering what this was all about. Women were so hard to understand, he decided, probably impossible. He had gone to work thinking that she would never speak to him again, and here she was, sitting so close to him that she was practically in his lap. "You feeling alright, Misty?" He finally asked. She smiled and nuzzled her head against his arm. "Better than I've ever felt in my entire life!" She answered. He shot her a quizzical glance, and her heart began to pound as she opened her mouth. "At the doctor," she began, voice shaking, "I got some very exciting news." Exciting wasn't a good enough word to describe how she felt. There wasn't a word. "As in?" "Guess." "Misty! Don't make me guess! You know I hate guessing games!" She giggled, which was unusual for her. Ash was fed up and used the ultimate weapon-he began to tickle her. "ASH!!! AHHH! Stop!!! I'll tell, I'll tell!" "Good." He waited for her to regain her composure, and finally she said, "Well, something is going to happen in nine months." Ash squinted. "Be more specific?" He's so cute when he's dense, thought Misty. "Well, babies take nine months to grow." She waited for this to sink in. "You mean!!" "Yes!!" "WE MADE A-" "Yes!" Squealed Misty, throwing her arms around Ash. "A BABY!!!!" "YEAH!!" he screamed, "WE RULE!!!!THIS IS AWESOME!!!!" The two half-crazed parents to be got up and began dancing around the living room, yelling random stuff for the sheer joy of it. They almost didn't hear the doorbell ringing. "Let me answer it!!" "No, me!" The couple rushed to the door and Misty flung it open. Ash's half- sister June stood on the step. "Guess what June?" Screamed Misty, "I went to the doctor and-" Ash butted in, "she found out she's pregnant!" At the same time Misty yelled, "She told me in nine months!" Poor June stared at them. Most obviously they'd gone insane. All she could hear was a bunch of hollered syllables. "CALM DOWN!!!" She screeched. That silenced them both. "Now, ONE of you, tell me what's going on." Misty took honor. "I went to the doctor and she told me I'm pregnant!" June was pleased to finally hear that. "Oh! All right!" She hugged them both and said with a sly grin, "Way to go. You pulled it off." "Hehehe," laughed Misty while Ash blushed a little. They spent the rest of the night with June and her husband, celebrating and discussing babies. Later, Ash and Misty called Ash's parents on the speaker phone. "Hello?" "Hey, Dad. This is Ash." There was a pause on the other line. "What's up? Something wrong?" Misty giggled. "Oh, no, Professor. (a/n YES, Professor Oak is Ash's father. At least that's what I think..) We have some really good news. Can you put Mrs. Ketchum on too?" They waited a couple seconds until she picked up the other line. This time, Ash and Misty took turns talking and managed to come off as SANE people. When they were done, there were exclamations of happiness on the other line. "I always knew you two kids were perfect for one another," cooed Mrs. Ketchum, "this is SO sweet!" "Mo-ther!" Wailed Ash, While Misty poked him. "We gotta call my sisters, and Brock." "Okay, well I have to call some more people," said Ash. "Bye Mom, Bye Dad."  
  
Later that night, Misty stood at the window, staring outside at the cars zooming past. The sun had just disappeared from sight. Her joy hadn't worn off, but Ash was in the shower now and it had subsided to a dull excitement. She was thinking, more deeply than she had in awhile. She was worried. Ash barely made enough money to support the two of them, and she was using a student loan to go to collage. How would they ever get enough money for another person in the family? "Hey, Misty," came his voice suddenly at her shoulder, and she jumped. Slowly she turned around. His warm brown eyes met hers in the darkness of the moon-bathed room. "Ash. You startled me." "Sorry." Usually she would have teased him, saying that he wasn't really sorry, and trying to make him apologize more sincerely. But now, she just turned back to the window and stared at the cars again with a worried expression on her face. He joined her at the window and covered her small hand with his own. "I'm sorry for fighting yesterday, Misty. It was such a petty, stupid fight, I didn't remember what it was about today. So let's just forget about it, and not fight anymore?" "Ha, like that's ever gonna happen. Of course we'll fight. But I'm sorry too, Ash. I'll try not to fight...as much." She knew he wouldn't pick up on her anxiety, so she blurted out what was on her mind. "Ash, I'm worried. We don't have enough money for a baby. Your job..doesn't pay a lot. I think I need to take a job and drop out of college." Her voice was soft. His head whipped around. "Don't drop out, Misty! You can't, you need to fulfill your goal of becoming a marine biologist." Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Life isn't what we thought it would be when we were kids, Ash. You thought you were gonna be the best Pokemon trainer ever, and you're a businessman. And I..I thought I would study water Pokemon, and now I'm going to end up.....working at the corner store." At first she thought she'd gone too far, when she mentioned Ash's business job. She knew it was a sensitive subject. "Oh Misty. I'm sorry I couldn't get the job I wanted. We would be making so much more.and then you wouldn't have to worry." She turned her hand over and he tightened his grip on it. "I'm sorry I've upset you so much.I never meant to do that. It's just that sometimes I wonder what happened to our childhood dreams," said Misty. "I'm not upset. It's both our problem, and I hate the job I'm at right now, I wish we had enough for me to start my own gym in Pallet Town, and then we could move back there, into a real house. " He ignored the last part of her statement, but she knew he felt the same way. Misty rested her head on his shoulder. "That would be a wonderful idea, Ash. And then our baby could grow up in the countryside instead of Celedon City." For awhile they just stood there, watching the night sky, each one separately thinking about the future. "I never thought we'd be having this discussion, Ash," spoke Misty again. "Huh?" "About our baby, about our life together. When I was twelve I never thought about the future. I only know it included you." Ash smiled. "I never thought about the future either. I just thought it would be fame and glory from my Boulder Badge up." "That sounds like the Ash I fell in love with, all right." They both laughed a little. Suddenly Ash turned Misty's head and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her in closer. She felt the familiar rush of warmth overcome her when she felt his strong arms around her waist. When they parted, Misty rested her head against his heart. "Mist, we're gonna find a way to make this work," said Ash, tousling her hair. "Yes, no matter what," she responded, closing her eyes.   
  
Well, I wrote this story about a year ago, before I knew about the wonderful fanfiction.net, and the other day I unearthed it, polished it up a bit.if you liked it, please review! If I get enough reviews (say.15, or so) I'll write another chapter. X~Aurora 


End file.
